The RPO making sense of Shostakovich: a thrilling Ninth, along with dazzling Prokofiev

Kian Soltani
© Juventino Mateo

Kian Soltani (cello)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Alexander Shelley (conductor)

Thursday 28 November, 2019

Cadogan Hall, London

★★★★





Alexander Glazunov (1865-1936): Concert Waltz No. 1 in D major, Op. 47
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Sinfonia Concertante in E minor (Symphony-Concerto), Op. 125
Encore:
Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953): Music for Children, Op. 65 No. 10, March
Alexander Borodin (1833-1887): Prince Igor: Polvtsian Dances, No. 17
Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975): Symphony No. 9 in E flat major, Op. 70

Alexander Shelley & the RPO
© Nick Boston

'Shelley gave well-pitched introductions, supplying some contextual detail and listening tips with an easy manner'.

Glazunov:
'Shelley and the RPO took great delight in the swirling string melodies and sweet woodwind decorations, communicating a sense of fun and delight in its simplicity'.

Prokofiev:
'Kian Soltani gave an astonishingly commanding performance of this phenomenally challenging work'.

Shostakovich:
'Shelley and the RPO were on great form here, with Shelley setting quick tempi and the RPO responding with accuracy and tight ensemble'.

'The finale was suitably thrilling'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Kian Soltani & the RPO
© Nick Boston

Hefty Bruckner eclipsed by Norman's Grammy-nominated 'Sustain'

Gustavo Dudamel/LA Phil
© Mark Allan/Barbican

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Gustavo Dudamel (condutor)

Wednesday 20 November 2019

Barbican Hall, London

★★★★






Andrew Norman (b.1979): Sustain (2018)

Anton Bruckner (1824-96): Symphony No. 4 in E flat major, 'Romantic'
(1874, rev 1878-80, ed Nowak)

Norman:
'The cumulative effect, with ever-faster collisions of chromatic cascades swirling around the orchestra, is captivating, oppressive and thrilling at the same time'.

'The orchestral players ... were totally on top of the serious ensemble demands it presents'

Bruckner:
'Dudamel and the LA Phil certainly gave full weight to the climaxes, loud and full-bodied, with a particularly blazing conclusion to the finale'.

'A powerful overall performance'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

Andrew Norman, Gustavo Dudamel & the LA Phil
© Nick Boston

CD Reviews - October 2019

Lutenist Alex McCartneyhas brought to life the music of a composer who was new to him until recently, and will certainly be new to most of us too. Jean Paul Paladin (c.1500-1565) was originally from Milan, but moved to France around 1516 and worked for the courts of Francois I, Charles III of Lorraine, and even Queen Mary of Scotland whilst she was living in France. The music presented here consists of a selection of delightful Fantasias by Paladin, all of which have an emphasis on contrapuntal writing – that’s to say, a number of melodic lines working through the pieces at the same time, not at all easy to write, or indeed play successfully on the lute. Yet McCartney hides any difficulties that these present, and the results are full of remarkably smooth lines and subtle delicacy. He also includes various anonymous stately Praeludiums, taken from Hortus Musicalis Novus, as well as two ‘intabulations’ (i.e. transcriptions into tabular notation for the instrument) by Paladin of madrigals by other composers, Quand’io penso al martir by Jacques Arcadelt, and Anchor che col partir by Cipriano de Rore, followed by Paladin’s Fantasias on these works. These fantasias, particularly the one drawing on the Rore madrigal are full of beautiful lines and invention, and placing the relatively ‘true’ transcription next to Paladin’s imitation fantasias allows McCartney to demonstrate the fluidity of Paladin’s own writing for the instrument, as well as his own deft touch and ability to bring out the singing lines of this delicate music. Another delightful disc from McCartney, well worth exploring.

Paladin, J. P. 2018. Paladin. Alex McCartney. Compact Disc. Veterum Musica VM022.

Back in April I reviewed Oli Spleen’s collaboration with Birdeatsbaby, Gaslight Illuminations. He’s now released his third single from the album, ‘Furnace’, with the B-side being a version of Brahms' ‘Hungarian Dance No. 5’. Furnace is the final track on the album, and it describes a psychological rebirth after the spiritual and emotional decline and death of the preceding songs. You can see the music video to Furnace, directed by Steve Johnson on YouTube (below), and you can download the single and album at olispleen.bandcamp.com.

Spleen, O. & Fitzgerald, M. 2019. Furnace. Oli Spleen, Mishkin Fitzgerald, Hana Maria, Steve Johnson. Digital Download. Bandcamp.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, October 2019)

CD Reviews - September 2019

Violinist Tasmin Little is joined by pianist John Lenehan for a glorious programme of works by Amy Beach (1867-1944), Clara Schumann (1819-1896) and Dame Ethel Smyth (1858-1944). They open with Beach’s wonderful Sonata, Op. 34. Beach was an accomplished pianist, debuting at the age of seven, but curtailed her highly successful performing career at the request of her husband, who preferred that she concentrate only on composition.  Her Sonata is full of lyricism and great virtuosity in the violin part, but, understandably given her pianism, the piano part is no slouch. Little and Lenehan clearly relish the beauty of Beach’s lush writing, as well as enjoying the virtuosity and playfulness, particularly in the quixotic Scherzo. There is as ever a warmth in Little’s tone that is ideally suited to this expansive music, and the flourish they both bring to the fiery finale is glorious. Clara Schumann was another piano virtuoso, but interestingly she had the opposite experience to Beach, her composing more or less coming to an end following her marriage.  Her Three Romances, Op. 22 were her final chamber composition, and these three short movements are full of rich melodic invention, with rippling piano accompaniments, particularly in the lightly playful third Romance. Dame Ethel Smyth was active in the woman’s suffrage movement, and her composition career was relatively successful (Clara Schumann was in fact one of her greatest supporters), although she faced much prejudice, her music being either deemed ‘too masculine’ or ‘too feminine’, depending on whether it was dramatic, rhythmic and powerful, or lyrical and melodic. In fact her Sonata Op. 7 contains both, with a dancing Scherzo and a beautiful, lilting slow movement, flanked by a richly inventive Allegro moderato, and a fabulously unapologetic Finale. Little and Lenehan perform with pace throughout, never allowing the more lyrical moments to become over indulgent, yet the pianissimo conclusion to the slow movement has beautiful delicacy. The finale is full of spirit, yet there is subtlety in Smyth’s writing here, so this is not just a throwaway finish. Little and Lenehan respect this with great attention to detail, but do allow proceedings to build to thrilling finish. To close the disc, we’re treated to two more short works by Beach, firstly a beautifully expressive Romance, Op. 23, with its heart definitely on its sleeve, followed by Invocation, Op. 55, equally romantic, but a little more introspective. Both receive heartfelt performances from Little and Lenehan here. With Little announcing her retirement from live performance earlier this year, her vast recording output becomes all the more precious, and this is definitely one to treasure.

Various. 2019. Tasmin Little plays Clara Schumann, Dame Ethel Smyth, Amy Beach. Tasmin Little, John Lenehan. Compact Disc. Chandos Records CHAN 20030.

During his tenure as composer in residence for the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Stephen McNeff (b.1951) wrote a number of works for the orchestra, and for Kokoro, the orchestra’s new music ensemble. He has also written music for Ensemble 10/10, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic’s contemporary music ensemble. A selection of these works has been recorded by Kokoro, and their disc opens with Counting (Two), scored for an ensemble of solo wind, strings, piano and percussion. The rhythms are spiky and insistent, and there is a constant sense of energy in the fragments of virtuosic material passed between instruments. The central movement has a different feel, inspired by ‘an altogether different sort of ordered counting’, following a visit by McNeff to a war cemetery in Italy, and it opens and closes with a mournful, repetitive lament. Growing intensity builds to an outburst from the horn, before the lament returns. The rushing third movement brushes the sadness aside, concluding the work with a procession of winding material and persistent percussion. The Four Van Gogh Chalks are for a smaller ensemble, and open with a thoughtful, atmospheric impression, Mademoiselle Gachet at the Piano, with high violin, tinkling percussion and rippling piano and wind. Venus in a Top Hat is a quirky, slightly frenzied scherzo, and L’Écorché is darkly atmospheric. The collection ends with Couple Dancing, although their dancing is unsettlingly off-kilter, and ultimately collapses into nothing, the couple presumably exhausted from their efforts. The four pieces form a great miniature suite, performed here with great energy and precision by the Kokoro players. Next on the disc comes Strip Jack Naked, a vehicle for mezzo-soprano Lore Lixenberg. McNeff has written a considerable amount for opera and music theatre, and this is described as a ‘burlesque tragedy’ and a ‘contemporary comic opera’. The story, told in a libretto by comedy actor and writer Vicki Pepperdine, basically tells of a woman waking on her birthday and realising that people don’t like the way she now looks – so she embarks on a drastic course of cosmetic surgery, which goes horribly wrong with dark consequences. Lixenberg delivers the highly challenging mix of virtuosic singing, cutting speech and ‘Sprechstimme’ with startling command. The full work was performed on stage in 2007, and McNeff has produced a Song Suite, containing most of the songs, for this recording. The small instrumental ensemble adds moments of jazzy counterpoint and percussive emphasis, with some occasional chilling sound effects too, and despite obviously being a stage piece, this works remarkably well on disc, a testament to McNeff and Lixenberg’s impressive ability to communicate the chilling story. The final work here is Lux, for octet. McNeff explores light, how it changes and shifts, through eight sections that follow without break. The music has a spooky, ephemeral feel, fleeting and hard to pin down, like shifting shafts of light, and the faster sections have a strong sense of energy, assisted once again by driving percussion rhythms. The Kokoro players perform all this music with impressive virtuosity and clarity, and the rather dry recorded sound actually helps articulate McNeff’s complex writing, making this a fascinating exploration of his striking music.

McNeff, S. 2019. Strip Jack Naked - Ensemble works by Stephen McNeff. Kokoro. Compact Disc. Prima Facie PFCD106.

Finally, in brief, another great recording from Edward Gardner, recently announced as new Principal Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Here he is with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, performing three Symphonies by Schubert (1797-1828), Nos. 3, 5 and 8, the ‘Unfinished’. Gardner’s Schubert is quick-paced but never rushed, and there is a lightness of touch throughout. No. 3 has charm and Haydn-esque spirit, with a blistering finale. No. 5 is more Mozartian, and here Gardner infuses the ‘little’ symphony, scored for smaller orchestra, with grace and elegance, particularly in the slow movement, yet he gives the rather straightforward Menuetto a much needed edge, and the finale rattles by in a whirl of energy. No. 8 starts whisperingly quietly, and the woodwind melody emerges out of nothing. This is a fine performance, expertly paced, never feeling rushed, but equally never wallowing in Schubert’s tempting lyrical melodies, thereby preserving the crucial arc of momentum many performances lose, and the impact of the development section’s dramatic outburst is consequently all the more effective. The seemingly calm second movement has always a sense of underlying tension, which bubbles to the surface in the second theme, over a gently pulsing off-beat rhythm, which then bursts out in a full-on tutti explosion. The contrasts here are the key, and Gardner’s dynamic range is impressive. A great opening volume, I look forward to more.  

Schubert, F. 2019. Symphonies Vol. 1: Nos. 3, 5 and 8. City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Edward Gardner. Hybrid Super Audio Compact Disc. Chandos Records CHSA 5234. 

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, September 2019)

Uplifting Romantic giants from Ax, Rattle and the LSO

Emanuel Ax, Sir Simon Rattle
& the LSO
© Kevin Leighton

Emanuel Ax (piano)
London Symphony Orchestra
Sir Simon Rattle (conductor) 

Wednesday 18 September 2019, 7pm

Barbican Hall, London

★★★★

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major, Op. 83

Encore:

Robert Schumann (1810-1856): Fantasiestücke, Op. 73 No. 1

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943): Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27

Emanuel Ax
© Kevin Leighton

'Ax and Rattle ensured that the balance between piano and orchestra were always controlled'.

'The warm, silky sound of Tim Hugh’s solo cello, combined with Ax’s delicacy ... made for an exquisite slow movement'.

'Rattle never allowed the surges of romantic passion here to get too carried away ... so that the impact of the brief passionate climax when it finally arrived was all the more powerful'.

'Rattle and the LSO, along with Ax, succeeded here in making an evening of such weighty masterpieces feel airy, uncluttered and suitably uplifting, a true pleasure to experience'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

A fitting tribute to Knussen in the Knussen Chamber Orchestra's Proms debut - Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 8

Ryan Wigglesworth
© Benjamin Ealovega

Knussen Chamber Orchestra
Ryan Wigglesworth (piano, conductor)

Monday 9 September, 1pm

Proms at ... Cadogan Hall 8
Cadogan Hall, London

★★★★





Oliver Knussen (1952-2018): ... upon one note - Fantasia after Purcell

Sir Harrison Birtwistle (b.1934): Fantasia upon all the notes

Freya Waley-Cohen (b.1989): Naiad

Knussen: Study for 'Metamorphosis'

Hans Abrahamsen (b.1983): Herbstlied

Alastair Putt (b.1983): Halazuni

Knussen: Songs without Voices


Waley-Cohen:
'A Copland-esque woodwind duet emerges, over glassy violin harmonics ... bringing this highly atmospheric piece to a quiet, contemplative conclusion'.

Knussen:
'Davies performed here with understated engagement, concluding with impressive control on the final sustained high notes'.

Putt:
'The repeating arabesque decoration is highly effective, as are the cascading, overlapping lines and the strangely keening horn and bassoon over flute flutters'.

'An impressive Proms debut from the Knussen Chamber Orchestra in a challenging range of contemporary chamber music, and a fitting tribute to Knussen himself'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.

'Dreaming and Singing' from fine Music Makers in a watery themed Prom - Prom 53

Sir Andrew Davis
© BBC/Chris Chrisodoulou

Stacey Tappan (soprano)
Dame Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano)
Anthony Gregory (tenor)

BBC Symphony Chorus
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Sir Andrew Davis (conductor)

Thursday 29 August 2019, 7pm

BBC Prom 53

Royal Albert Hall, London

★★★★

Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958): Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis

Hugh Wood (b.1932): Scenes from Comus

Sir Edward Elgar (1857-1934): The Music Makers, Op. 69

Dame Sarah Connolly & the BBCSO
© BBC/Chris Chrisodoulou

Vaughan Williams:
A 'richly warm and affectionate reading of this well-loved piece'.

Wood:
'Davis was positively swinging with the offbeats and frequent beat changes'.

Elgar:'
The BBC Symphony Chorus 'delivered the text with excellent precision, and flawless tuning throughout.

Connolly 'gave an impassioned and commanding performance here. ... her final lines ... brought a tear to many an eye'.

Read my full review on Bachtrack here.